Right Before You
by EricaX
Summary: True feelings are confessed when the gang watched fireworks for the Fourth of July. Slash. Fred/Shaggy. Takes place in the 'What's New Scooby Doo' universe. Fred/Shaggy Slash. Don't like? Don't read.


Title: Right before You

Fandom: Scooby Doo

Pairings: Fred/Shaggy(mainly one sided), Daphne/Fred(one sided), Velma/Shaggy(one-sided)

Summary: True feelings are confessed when the gang watched fireworks for the Fourth of July. Slash. Fred/Shaggy. Takes place in the 'What's New Scooby Doo?' universe.

Author's Note: This is my very first Scooby Doo fic, so I'm not really used to working with these characters. I've just been so involved with the fandom lately that I have been bugging to wrote something. Whether or not it's very good doesn't seem to be an issue. I'm doing this either way. Enjoy. –EricaX

He wasn't entirely sure when it had taken place; when he had started to expect the call of his name. And while they were on a case and trying to solve the mystery; when he didn't hear it, he found himself to be anxious.

No. It wasn't the calling of a certain girl either. Which just made everything all the more unnerving to the blonde. Instead it was his voice that he insisted on hearing. His voice that made him smile sometimes and worry with others.

Fred Jones ran a hand through his short blonde hair, taking a deep sigh and looking over to where his friends were seated outside of the Blake Mansion. Daphne's parents had invited them to come to their house and watch the fireworks display that would be taking place at the local park. Since they lived near the park and on a hillside, it allowed them the perfect view to watch the fireworks without having to deal with the bustling crowds of the locals at the park who also wished to speculate.

Four lawn chairs had been placed in the front yard, far enough away from the house to have some privacy yet close enough to still be within the porch light's shine to give them light to see. Of course, along with the lawn chairs, Shaggy and Scooby had brought it upon themselves to bring a small table which had been covered in snacks raging from chips to gummy bears. The hippie and his companion dog munched away happily without a care in the world. They both sat at the far right side of the line of chairs with Shaggy in between Scooby who was at the very end and Velma on his left. It was then Daphne who sat on the other side of Velma, leaving Fred to sit on Daphne's left. Leaving Fred to be the farthest away from Shaggy.

Fred looked down at the bag of chips in his own hands. He had brought them from inside. Seeing Shaggy and Scooby chowing down on all those snacks had made his stomach churn a little with hunger, despite the fact that he had had a rather large dinner just an hour prior. Having just been inside, he was the only one not sitting down in one of the chairs. Daphne and Velma were deep in conversation; talking about something in which Fred had no interest in whatsoever. Because of this, it left him without anything to distract himself from his thoughts. Thoughts that he found he enjoyed. Thoughts that focused on the tall lanky man a couple chairs down from him.

"Freddie" someone called his name, though it wasn't the person whose voice he wanted to hear. No, he wasn't calling to him this time. She was.

Fred looked down and blinked, seeing Daphne's innocent smile. "Hey, Earth to Fred" she teased lightly. "Sit down. The fireworks will be starting in about a half hour. But it's such a beautiful night, isn't it!" She gestured to the empty chair next to her.

"Oh, yeah…." muttered Fred without thinking as he sat down. He felt awkward for a reason he wasn't quite sure. It was July 4th, so it had been a hot day, leaving the gang of friends no choice but to wear lighter clothing. Daphne was wearing a purple tank top and a light pink scarf with a skirt that went down to her knees. Fred himself was wearing blue shorts and a white t-shirt. There was a time when Fred would have found himself blushing when she wore something like that in front of him, but tonight was different. His cheeks weren't warm and the butterflies in his stomach were gone, leaving his stomach to feel empty, even though he was eating chips.

Fred forced himself to pay attention when he noticed Velma had been talking. "…saying that earlier. It is a wonderful night for fireworks. I honestly can't imagine a better night, actually. The stars will be out. It's kind of a shame I'll be too busy watching for fireworks. It would be the perfect opportunity to check out some constellations. I still have a few I need to find for my research book" Velma was saying. Typical Velma. Always thinking scientifically. Not that there was anything wrong with that of course. Fred had always found what she had to say interesting. But again, tonight was different. He was beginning to think it had something to do with the hippie who was currently stuffing a three stacked sandwich into his mouth.

"Fred, is there something wrong?" asked Daphne. "Velma just asked you a question and you completely ignored her." Fred snapped out of his thoughts and stared blankly at the red head.

"You know, Fred, I know what I have to say isn't always the most interesting to you, but never before you have flat out ignored me. Is there something you want to tell us?" inquired Velma, pulling at the tank she was wearing. She wasn't used to showing off so much skin.

Fred found his gaze moving past the girls and over to Shaggy, who had stopped shoving food in his mouth long enough to look his way and see what was going on. Fred could have sworn his heart skipped a beat when he met Shaggy's concerned look.

"No, I'm fine" said Fred briskly. He tore his gaze away from Shaggy's, wondering if the beatnik/hippie had noticed his staring. He scratched the back of his head out of nerves. "I'm sorry, Velma. I guess I just have a lot on my mind." That was incorrect. He actually only had one thing on his mind. One person. And that one person just ate a handful of Oreos with peanut butter and hot sauce.

"Like, you can tell us, Freddie" smiled Shaggy after swallowing his mouthful of cookies. "Maybe after you tell us what's on your mind it'll like, go away. "

If only it were that simple. It was so easy for Shaggy to say such a thing. He had no idea what was going on through his mind! The thoughts that were circling in his head made the well-built blonde feel slightly dizzy. He wasn't used to thinking such things. So, he tried to cover himself as best as he could.

"It's nothing, gang. Really. I'm just thinking about some stuff…."

Shaggy chuckled goofily and Fred decided that he loved the sound of it. "Knowing you, Freddie, you're already planning the trap for our next case." Fred loved it when Shaggy called him 'Freddie'.

"Reah!" agreed Scooby, nodding.

The girls laughed but Velma recovered first, asking, "Exactly how do you come up with all those traps, Fred? I've always wondered."

Fred, thrilled for the change in topic, smiled and pointed at the girl in orange. "The same way you manage to put all the pieces together in a case and know who the culprit is every time before we even unmask the villain! Even when given the most random of clues! Or like how Daphne always somehow manages to concoct some kind of disguise with only three items or unlock any kind of lock."

Shaggy chimed in, adding, "Or like how Scoob and I always manage to find the villain first, no matter where we decide to split up!"

Velma laughed, nodding and looking somewhat guilty for bothering to ask such a question. All of them seemed to have a knack for getting out of trouble in some way, shape, or form. Velma with her quick wit and intelligence, Daphne with her knack of finding clues and escaping from tight spots, Shaggy and Scooby with their running and clever hiding spots, and Fred with his traps and clever planning.

The five of them truly did make a good team. Everyone had their flaws, of course, but if they stuck together, they found that they could wrestle through anything.

Fred's smile soon vanished as he found himself staring at Shaggy again. Velma and Daphne had started another conversation, reminiscing on old mysteries. He wished he could be one to be sitting next to Shaggy, instead of Velma or Scooby. They were so lucky; always getting to get closer to the hippie than Daphne or himself. Then again, it was partially his fault for this. He always split the team up that way. Daphne always went along with him, Velma sometimes went off by herself or with them, and then Shaggy and Scooby fended for themselves. Perhaps next time he would pair them off differently.

"Like, Freddie, I have to ask….." came Shaggy's scratchy voice.

Fred's eyes snapped over to Shaggy's chair, only to find that he wasn't there. Fred frantically looked around for about ten seconds before his eyes landed on him. Shaggy was on the other side of him now, bending down to pick something up that was currently in the grass. Fred saw that it was a marshmallow. The blonde man watched as Shaggy blew on it before promptly popping it into his mouth.

Seeing Fred's confused look, Shaggy gave him a sheepish grin. "Like, sorry. Scooby started throwing the marshmallows. I was just picking them up." He bent down to pick up another one, popping that one into his mouth as well. After gulping it down he looked down at Fred, now standing next to him. "Anyways, what I was going to ask was…..WHY do you keep staring at me!"

In shock, Fred opened his mouth in a silent gasp; completely caught off guard. Shaggy had noticed that he had been staring! He opened and closed his mouth several times, his eyes wide. Yet had he paid any more attention, he would have noticed that Shaggy was no longer even looking at Fred. His eyes were on Daphne and Velma. Shaggy put his hands on his hips, now lightly glaring at the girls.

Velma and Daphne laughed for a moment before Daphne giggled, "Sorry, Shaggy, but….it's kind of hard not to. You've got peanut butter in your hair and chocolate on your cheeks."

"Wha-!" cried out Shaggy, his hands reaching up to touch his sticky hair. The peanut butter almost matched the color of his hair. He quickly wiped off the chocolate on his cheeks with his tongue and hands and started attempting to get the peanut butter out of his hair. He froze after a minute or so of trying and glared over at Scooby, who was snickering to himself like a little kid. "SCOOBY DOO! Like, why did you put peanut butter in my hair!"

Velma and Daphne continued to laugh while Fred sighed in relief. That had been a close one. He had been sure Shaggy was talking about how he had noticed Fred's staring. That was a conversation the jock did not care to have any time soon. He looked up and saw Shaggy fruitlessly trying to get the peanut butter out of his hair.

Fred stood as Shaggy cried over to his dog, "I'm so going to you back for this, man! This is war!"

Fred wasn't entirely sure what he was doing until he was already doing it. He had not planned to do what he was doing. It was as though his body was moving on its own. He grabbed hold of Shaggy's left arm and gently forced him to stop messing with his hair. Shaggy just looked at him incredulously. It was odd for Fred to be touching Shaggy in such a way. It was always Daphne he did this sort of thing with. He had never treated Shaggy this way before. It wasn't that they weren't friends or didn't like each other, they just never did anything of the sort before.

Shaggy noted how gentle Fred's grip was on his arm as Fred smiled and offered some help. "Come on, Shaggy. Why don't we go inside and get that stuff out of your hair."

"Fred, that's not exactly a two person job" interjected Daphne. She didn't sound rude about it; she was simply pointing it out. "Besides, you boys had better hurry or you'll both miss out on the fireworks. They're going to start in about twenty minutes."

Fred nodded, still holding onto Shaggy. He could feel his hand warming up from the contact. "Yeah, we know. That's plenty of time for us to wash his hair. And I'm helping him because someone has to be there to make sure he could it all. I'm pretty sure Shaggy doesn't have eyes at the back of his head."

Shaggy was quick to shake his head in a negative. Without any more hesitation, Fred led Shaggy into the Blake Mansion. "Use the downstairs bathroom! The first one on the left!" called over Daphne as the girls watched their backs move further away towards the mansion.

FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

With a short, fluid twist to the handle, lukewarm water burst down the faucet and into the bathtub that Shaggy was currently leaning over the edge of. It only made sense to do it this way. Neither man could think of a better way for him to wash his hair besides simply taking a full blown shower.

Shaggy was on his knees, his upper body leaning into the sink, making sure his head was underneath the fall of water. He started getting his hair wet as Fred found him some towels to dry with afterwards.

"Fred, you don't have to help me. I can wash my hair by myself. Like, if anybody should be in here helping me, it should be Scooby! He's the one who got this stuff in my hair to begin with!" Shaggy was saying. His voice was slightly muffled thanks to his close proximity of the water.

Fred shrugged as he placed the towels on the other side of Shaggy and knelt down next to his friend. "Nah, its fine."

"No, like, seriously, man! This may take longer than twenty minutes and I don't want you to miss out on the fireworks because of me!" pressed the skinny male.

"Or it could only take another five minutes" argued Fred. "Face it, Shag, I'm here to help you and that's that." The blonde knew Shaggy well enough that had he been able to see his face, Shaggy would be rolling his eyes at that moment. Fred sat up on his knees, moving himself closer to Shaggy, willing himself not to get over excited for getting to be this close to him. The last thing he wanted to do was mess anything up between them.

Shaggy visibly flinched when he felt Fred's hands start to sift through his light brown hair along with his own. "L-Like, Fred? W-What are you doing!"

"Helping you get some of this peanut butter out of your hair! It's a mess! Talk about sticky!" he explained as casually as he could. He couldn't tell Shaggy the real reason why he was helping him; which was to have a excuse to run his hands through the others hair.

Fred could sense and hear Shaggy's embarrassment and nerves, but decided to ignore them. He just continued to gently take his hands work through all the peanut butter that was in it. Scooby had certainly put a lot of gooey substance in his master's hair. The whole ordeal struck Fred as odd. Scooby and Shaggy were known for playing small tricks on each other just like close brothers would do, but usually it never went farther than stealing each other's food. Placing peanut butter in Shaggy's hair seemed a little out of character for the Great Dane. At least, in Fred's opinion it was. Perhaps more tricks went on when the two were alone and at the privacy of Shaggy's house than anyone else knew about.

"Oh, well, thanks…." Shaggy mumbled dumbly, not knowing what else to say to such a thing. Had it been Velma or Daphne helping him wash his hair he couldn't imagine being this nervous, but since it was a Fred, his male friend, he found himself a being a bundle of nerves for reasons he didn't wish to think about.

The two friends scrubbed through Shaggy's hair in a vain attempt to get all the peanut butter out his hair. The peanut butter though was an odd element somewhere between sticky and slick. It was caked on the ends of Shaggy's hairs, refusing to come off as easily as they had open it would. With four hands though, the boys managed without too much problem. Fred reached for more shampoo, finding the amount Shaggy had already placed in not enough. He poured a good amount into his hand before continuing to run his hands through the mess.

"Fred?" piped up Shaggy after a few minutes of tense and awkward silence.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks, man."

Fred smiled. "No problem, Shaggy. I'm glad I could help. To be honest, I'm surprised Velma or Daphne didn't beat me to this. I'm surprised they didn't offer to help you wash your hair first."

"Like, you didn't exactly give them any time to offer. You sort of just jumped on it" the lanky man pointed out.

Fred felt himself turn red in the cheeks and was immediately grateful Shaggy couldn't see this. "Oh, did I?" he asked nervously, trying to keep his voice steady. After a minute or so of washing, Fred asked almost shyly, "Would you feel more comfortable if Velma was in here helping you instead of me?"

Shaggy tensed slightly. What a way to put a person between a rock and a hard place. Whichever answer he gave he was pretty much outing one of his closest friends. Yet it seemed Fred had more to say. "I mean, I could easily see you wishing Velma was here instead of me. I mean, you two are….dating, right?" He hated to admit it, but he knew it was true. Velma and Shaggy had always been the odd ones out in the group. Daphne and himself had always seemed like the perfect couple. The jock and the popular girl. 'How original' Fred couldn't help but think sarcastically. That left Shaggy and Velma, along with Scooby, too often fend for themselves and it hadn't been until the past year or so that the two of them started noticing each other in any form of romantic lighting.

Shaggy busied himself with rinsing out his hair and remaining silent. Fred knew when he was being avoided. Shaggy didn't wish to answer his question and the blonde couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He wanted Shaggy to feel like he could tell him anything. He wanted Shaggy to know what no matter what he would be there for him. Through the thick and thin. "Shaggy?"

After rinsing all of the shampoo out from his hair, Shaggy finally said something. "I don't know. I guess we are."

"You guess?" questioned Fred with his eyebrows raised. "Shags, you either are or you aren't. It's not that complicated of a question."

"Well, like, it is in our case!" defended Shaggy, holding his ground. Fred was taken slightly aback by the force put into his words. He stood and rinsed his hands from all the shampoo since Shaggy was using the bathtub's faucet. "Fred, we're both new at dating. Neither of us have a flipping clue what we're doing! Like, Velma is a sweet girl and all, and I love her to pieces, but I have no idea how to act around her besides as a friend! And like, how am I supposed to know if what I feel for her is brotherly or romantic? I mean, she IS like a little sister to me, in some ways. Like I'm sure you feel brotherly towards Daphne at times rather than the usual romantic ones."

Fred nodded a towel in his hands as he wiped them off. "Yeah, I suppose…."

Shaggy finished off rinsing out his hair, leaning upwards slightly to feel and check to make sure he had gotten both the peanut butter and the shampoo out. His bowl cut hair was dripping wet as he turned his head to look up at Fred. "What do you mean by that?"

Fred shrugged, not really knowing the answer himself. He watched as Shaggy reached out looking for a towel. He grabbed one and placed it in Shaggy's outstretched hand. "I got it all, didn't I?" asked the hippie.

"Yeah." He waited a moment before answering his friend's question. "I guess, what I meant by that, was that…That's the only way I've ever felt for Daphne…."

Shaggy, who was standing now but bent over slightly as he took the towel through his hair, squeaked, "What? You mean-But like, I could have sworn you two were-"

"Well, Daphne was…..She wanted….and still does want something to happen between us but I'm…..not really interested…" clarified Fred.

Shaggy finally stood up straight, his hair is disarray. "Wow, really? Is it because you like someone else?"

'Oh, if only you knew, Shaggy' thought Fred inwardly. Outwardly he answered him, "Yeah, I do have feelings for someone. But I don't think it would work out between us."

Placing the towel down and now running his long fingers through his hair, Shaggy gave him a curious look. "Why not?"

"It's complicated. And I'm not even sure how I go about saying my feelings…."

"Do you think she knows, though? That you like, have these feelings?"

"No! She…" Fred looked at Shaggy right in the face, wishing so badly Shaggy was telepathic just so that he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of telling him. "…She has no idea…"

Shaggy looked into the large mirror that was hanging on the wall next to the door, checking his hair. "Well, man, if I were you, I'd tell her. The only thing worse than not getting the girl of your dreams….is missing out on the chance for the girl of your dreams simply because you didn't have the nerve to ask her…"

Fred nodded, following Shaggy as they walked out the bathroom door.

"Yeah…I'll try to tell her…." He sighed, turning out the light of the bathroom, watching Shaggy's back as they walked out of the mansion.

Daphne and Velma looked up just in time to see the boys walk back out of the Blake Mansion. They smiled to see that Shaggy had been successful in getting all of the peanut butter out of his hair. Scooby looked guilty as ever when his master sat back down in his lawn chair without a word to him.

"Sorry, Raggy…" he muttered his apology.

Shaggy accepted his apology as he scratched Scooby behind the ears. "Like, forgive and forget, ol' buddy, ol' pal. Just…..don't do it again….please…."

"R'okay!" agreed Scooby, offering Shaggy a bag of chips.

Fred watched the scene between the man and his dog, smiling slightly. It was nice to know that things were still good between them. The blonde sat down next to Daphne, feeling anxious once more. He had really hoped he had been able to tell Shaggy about his feelings in the hallway a few moments ago, but it seemed it wasn't going to work out that way. Not with the girls there. Or Scooby. He had to speak with Shaggy alone if he wished to tell him about him about all these odd feelings he was having.

At the sound of Daphne's squeal of delight, Fred snapped out of his thoughts, looking at her. She was smiling happily and pointing at the sky, which oddly seemed brighter. He looked over and saw the colorful sparks of the fireworks lighting up the sky. They flew up into the air, cracking when they reached a certain point in the air, and exploding into a burst of color.

"Wow, this is quite a show. I can't remember the last time the local park had such a display of fireworks" marveled Velma, adjusting her glasses so that she could enjoy the sights better.

"Like, you think this is cool? You should see the fireworks my dad sets off on the Fourth of July" bragged Shaggy.

"You're dad sets off fireworks?" queried Daphne without taking her eyes off the fireworks.

"Like, yeah!" cried Shaggy happily. His smile quickly turned into a frown that no one saw but Fred. Fred was too busy watching Shaggy to pay any mind to the fireworks. He preferred watching the firework's light shine on the other man's face. Shaggy pressed on a moment later. "If my dad even still sets them off. I don't know. I should ask Maggie the next time she calls. Ever since they moved away from Coolsville, I'm not sure what my parents do or if they even keep old family traditions like that."

Velma blinked, the wheels in her head turning. "Wait, how can that be? Nobody is allowed to set off fireworks unless it's done by professionals. At least, that's how it is here in Coolsville. So how is it your dad managed to?"

Shaggy's frown vanished and he chuckled. "You forget that my dad is a police officer and being a police officer can like, have its perks."

"I'll say!" Daphne exclaimed.

Without thinking, Fred suddenly burst out, "Shaggy!" All four of his friends turned away from the fireworks to look at him. The urgency in his voice alone rose questions.

"Uhh…yeah?"

"Did you really mean what you meant back there? About just telling the person I like about my feelings?" As soon as he said those words, he immediately regretted. Especially since Daphne was sitting right beside him. While they may not have had a serious discussion about where they stood in their relationship, Fred was pretty sure Daphne was hoping for something to happen between them and saying such a thing out loud to Shaggy was surely going to give her the wrong impression.

Shaggy looked at Fred incredulously, not sure why Fred would bring up the topic again now, of all times. "Well, yeah. Of course I did, man."

Velma never handled being out of the loop well. So it was unsurprising when she asked, "Wait? What's going on?" She turned to Fred. "Fred, you like someone?"

Fred stammered slightly; not knowing what to say. "Well-ummm….yeah."

Daphne's face was blank, making it nearly impossible for Fred to figure out what she was thinking. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was talking about her. It would only make everything three times worse.

"Then, yes. Shaggy is right. You should just tell her about her feelings" prompted Velma. Velma to the rescue, it seemed. Fred nodded.

"Who's the rucky girl?" Of course, Scooby would ask that. That innocent question.

Fred made an effort not to make eye contact with Daphne, which was pretty hard considering she was currently starting right at him. "Look, gang, why don't we just watch the fireworks for right now. We're missing out on them. I'll tell you all later." Or not.

"Well, alright" conceded Daphne, tearing her eyes away to watch the fireworks once more. It was silently agreed that they would go back to watching the fireworks. For the time being, he had an excuse to hide behind while his mind thought everything over.

He could easily tell everyone that it was really Shaggy he liked. But in the pit of his stomach churned fear. It was the same type of fear he felt when stumbling upon one of the many monsters of a case. Only this was not a monster that would simply be unmasked. This was an anxious fear that would only increase the more he kept things inside.

Him liking Shaggy seemed like the only logical explanation about everything that had been going on in his mind for the last few days. Every time he heard Shaggy speak he could feel a small shiver go up his spine. Every time he heard Shaggy call him 'Freddie', a small smile curled onto his lips. Shaggy and Fred had been friends ever since Shaggy and his family had moved to Coolsville when he was a child. Fred had been the first person to make friends with him. They had met on the bus and red Herring the bully had been playing tricks on him. Fred had been the only one to protest against the taunting. And frankly, looking back, it hadn't helped matters that Shaggy had such an unfortunate name. That had been back before Shaggy had received his nickname, therefore forcing the tall skinny child to be called Norville by his peers.

It wasn't long until Velma had befriended him and not long after for Daphne to befriend them. Daphne had met Shaggy and Velma through Fred, who had known Daphne since they were in kindergarten. But Fred had always felt a strong, brotherly protectiveness for Shaggy, even though he no longer really needed it. Now into his twenties, Shaggy no longer had issues with making friends. But Fred still felt the need to be there to watch over him. Now it seemed, those protective feelings had deepened into something more. Something that Fred wasn't sure he could handle alone.

The fireworks lasted a good twenty minutes before the loud and colorful finale began. It was a wonderful sight and all five of them were thrilled to have gotten to see such a great show. Yet it was over before any of them knew it. And they found themselves picking up the bags of chips and pop cans they had eaten and drank and cleaning up after themselves. Shaggy and Scooby had already come prepared with two large trash bags, scooping up all of their own trash since they had obviously ate a lot more than their friends.

"So…." Started Daphne has she grabbed her lawn chair and started folding it up. "You were saying earlier Fred?" When she didn't receive an immediate response from her friend, she pressed on. "You said you would tell us who you liked after the fireworks. Well, they're over now."

Velma gave him a mischievous grin. "Oh, yeah. That's right. I nearly forgot! Go on, Freddie, tell us."

Fred took a step backwards, his hand clutching at the lawn chair he had been sitting in. His eyes landed on Shaggy who was still busy cleaning up after himself with the trash. It didn't seem that Shaggy was nearly as interested as the girls. In fact, Shaggy seemed to have had a frown on his face.

He motioned for the girls to come closer as he stepped back a bit. Daphne and Velma followed, their curiosity piqued. In a whisper, Fred said to them, "Listen, before I tell you. I need to ask you something."

"Anything, Fred" offered Velma. Daphne nodded.

Fred took in a deep breath. "What is your opinion on…..a guy…..liking a guy….?" That was the best way he could put it in words without dying of embarrassment.

"Are you asking us what we think about people being gay?" translated Velma. Fred mutely nodded. Velma shrugged. "Well, I've always tried to be open-minded myself when it comes to a person's sexuality. Sure, some believe it's not biblically incorrect and it's often been frowned upon. But I myself have never had a problem with it. To me it shouldn't matter who the person is you love. So long as the two of them are happy."

Daphne, who had been looking at Velma as she answered, nodded. "I agree wholeheartedly. Love is a beautiful thing. I've always believed that. It shouldn't matter if it's right or wrong. Love is love. Why are you asking us this, Freddie?"

Fred opened his mouth to answer but Velma answered for him. "Isn't it obvious, Daphne?" She looked at her red headed friend with a knowing smirk, clasping her hands behind her back. "Fred didn't ask us that for any old reason. Did you, Fred?"

Fred's face was red as he shook his head, almost looking guilty for a crime he didn't commit. "No….I asked you because…..well…I….I'm so sorry, Velma…." He looked down at Velma, giving her a look of pure guilt and sadness. Velma blinked in surprise at this, not understanding what he was apologizing for. "I like Shaggy…."

Both of the girls were thunderstruck with the news. They stared openly at him; their mouths slightly open in shock. Seeing their response led Fred to start explaining himself. Checking to make sure Shaggy was still preoccupied with Scooby, he told them quietly, "I don't know when these feelings started, but they're driving me crazy! You know I've always considered Shaggy one of my closest friends. You know how protective I've been with him over the years, especially back in our grade school and high school years! But lately it just seems like I can't get Shaggy out of my head! Every time I see him my mind goes crazy! And the only explanation I can find is that I have feelings for him!"

"Not necessarily" Daphne was quick to say.

Velma turned to her. "What you mean, Daph? That's exactly what it sounds like!" She turned back to Fred. "I'm not kidding here, Fred that is exactly how I've felt for Shaggy before! Oh…." It then dawned on her why Fred had apologized to her.

Fred frowned, looking downward. "Yeah….And…that's why I said sorry before…"

Velma seemed at a loss for words, but Daphne had plenty. "Well, I can't say I'm not surprised Freddie and I suppose it would seem selfish of me to say I had been hoping the two of us would eventually work things out…..but….I guess you don't think the same way as me…." She gave him a sad smile, grabbing onto Fred's hand. "I've always admired you Fred. And I will openly say, it will be hard to get over you." She let go of his hand, taking a step back.

Now it was only Velma. Velma was shuffling her feet anxiously, her hands still clasped behind her back. "Well, I have pretty much the same to say that Daphne did. Only in the sake of Shaggy. To be honest, Shaggy and I never really did have a whole lot of chemistry. He's a real sweet guy though. Being new to the whole dating scene didn't exactly help matters either. I guess what I'm trying to say is….I'm okay with your liking Shaggy. I don't blame you….." she giggled at the last bit.

Fred smiled, intrigued that everything was going so much more smoothly than he had predicted. Maybe there was still a chance at things going well with telling Shaggy as well. Shaggy was known for being a laid back type of person and tended to take whatever came his way in strides. Except perhaps monsters.

"Thanks, girls. That really means a lot to me" smiled Fred, feeling some of the weight lift off from his shoulders.

"So, when are you going to tell him?" asked Daphne.

The weight that had been lifted from his shoulders suddenly came back with stronger force. "Oh, God….I have to tell him….." he groaned.

Sensing her friend's fear and worry, Velma placed a reassuring hand on his broad shoulder. "Relax. Just be truthful with him. He'll understand. If there is one thing I know about Shaggy, it's his loyalty to his friends. He won't judge you, Fred. It's not in his nature."

"She's right, Fred. Just go for it" encouraged the red head. Fred nodded at their encouragement, finally looking past the girls to see Shaggy tying the strings to the trash bag.

"Shaggy…" He called over. He stepped past Daphne and Velma; being able to feel their stares on his back. He braced himself; knowing this was going to be awkward. Though the majority of the night had been awkward, so why not suffer a little more?

"Yeah, Fred?"

"Shaggy, I have something to tell you. Something that I've wanted to tell you all night….But it hasn't been easy…." Explicated Fred. Shaggy nodded, handing the garbage bag over to Scooby who dragged it and his own bag over to the Blake Mansion. It was his punishment for putting peanut butter in his master's hair.

"Well, like, go ahead, man. You know you can tell me anything" smiled Shaggy, now standing before Fred. Now that the blonde jock had gained all of Shaggy's attention, he wasn't sure he wanted it. He could feel his face warm up with sudden inhibition.

Fred turned back to glance at the girls who were conveniently busy 'talking' about something. Of course they would leave him hanging. Turning back to Shaggy, Fred gulped and did what he knew he had to do. He reached over, taking his hand and wrapping it around Shaggy's neck and bringing Shaggy closer to him. Their lips met instantly.

Fred felt his heart flutter at the softness of Shaggy's lips. Who knew the hippie would have had such soft lips? He could taste the remains of the Oreo cookies the lanky man had eaten earlier, along with a hint of the hot sauce that had been poured over top of the cookies. He could feel Shaggy squirm a bit as the kiss broke. Fred opened his eyes and awaited the verdict. To find out Shaggy's reaction.

Shaggy just stared at Fred with wide, dazed eyes, his hand reaching up to place two fingers lightly on his own lips as though he wasn't able to believe what had just taken place. Velma and Daphne had stopped talking once they had seen Fred kissing Shaggy, their mouths open slightly in shock once more.

Fred backed up, raising his hands up in front of him as though he was surrendering to something. "Listen Shag, I'm sorry to have been forward there…..I just I couldn't think of any other way to tell you—"

Fred would have continued apologizing had those soft lips not pressed back onto his and left him dumbstruck. The kiss wasn't as long as the first one but it was still just as enjoyable. Shaggy broke the kiss, smiling at Fred.

"Shaggy…you kissed me back…." Whispered Fred, earning a nod from the hippie. "Does this mean-?"

"Like it can mean whatever you want to mean, Freddie. If you wanted that to a friend kiss, then, okay, it was a friend kiss. Though that's not what I had in mind when I kissed you back" countered Shaggy.

"Red? Raggy?" came Scooby's baffled rumble of a voice. Both men turned to look down at Shaggy's dog. "Rous this mean rou two rar rating?" They hadn't even heard the dog come back from putting the trash away.

Shaggy didn't reply right away, looking to Fred for answers. "Well, Fred? Are we dating?"

Fred smirked. "I think it would be save to say so…." He leaned in once more for a quick kiss before he felt himself get pulled back by Daphne, feeling her tight grip on his arm. He looked at her with slight alarm. Though her bright smile made him relax instantly.

"Oooooh! This is just too cute!" she squealed, giving Fred a hug.

Velma was holding Shaggy's hand as she said, "Yeah, it certainly is a surprise. But not a bad one. I had no idea that you had feelings for Fred too Shaggy."

Shaggy shrugged. "Yeah….But I never acted on it because I for sure thought you'd be hooked on Daphne. I never told you because I was afraid you wouldn't like me back….."

Fred beamed at him. "Trust me…..I know the feeling…." He pulled himself way form Daphne's grasp and kissed Shaggy once more. This time the kiss was less uncomfortable and more enjoyable since both of them now knew it was what they both wanted. The rest of the evening seemed to pass in a blur for the two love birds. Daphne, Velma , and Scooby seemed to disappear as the world around them grew fuzzy. Nothing else mattered but them. That was all they wanted.

"Freddie….." sighed Shaggy between a kiss.

Yes, Fred loved it when Shaggy called him that. He now understood the feeling he felt whenever Shaggy said it. It was as though his heart was melting in a happy bliss. He finally had his prize and there was no way he was about to share it. He no longer felt lost with his emotions and feelings. Everything seemed to make sense now. To think, that this entire time, what he had wanted, had been right before him.

Author's Note: Well, that is my very first Scooby Doo fic. Sorry if you found it boring. And double sorry if you found anyone to be OOC. I apologize. I never worked with these characters before and therefore tried as best as I could to keep them in character. That's the end, btw. Unless I decide to write a sequel, which, seriously, don't count on it being anytime soon. I have nothing in mind. Share your thoughts if you have any ideas. I would love to hear them. Thanks for reading. Be gentle when reviewing. -EricaX


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